You Don't Need to Love Me
by xTakeMeOrLeaveMe
Summary: This story is based on the new musical If/Then and focuses on the relationship between Beth and Lucas. It's similar to the show but has a few twists!
1. Ch 1: Back in the City That Moves Me

You Don't Need To Love Me

_**A/N: I haven't written these in awhile, so bear with me. I'm currently obsessed with If/Then, so I decided to write a fanfic from Beth's point-of-view focusing on her relationship with Lucas, but there are other characters involved. Some dialogue and plot lines will be directly from the show, but I'm twisting a few things around. Enjoy! (WARNING: Mild inappropriate language involved.)**_

**Chapter 1: Back in the City That Moves Me**

On s sunny Saturday afternoon on one of her first days back in New York City, Elizabeth was excited to meet up with her friends in Madison Square Park. She had left an unsatisfying life in Phoenix after twelve years and was eager to start new. From a distance, Elizabeth saw her two friends sitting at a table from far away. Kate was her new friend, a kindergarten teacher who lived across the hall. She had a feisty, upbeat personality and was always smiling. Her other friend, Lucas, was her old college friend from Vassar who was awkward and nerdy, but always continued to be a loyal friend to Elizabeth in times of need. Their friendship throughout the years was a bit complicated, but she was looking forward to being back in New York and revisiting old times, while creating new memories as well.

"Hey guys!" Elizabeth called to her friends, trying to get their attention. "I was going to introduce you to each other but it seems you've already met. Lucas, this is Kate, she lives across the hall. Kate, this is Lucas, my old college friend."

"Hey!" the two friends greeted each other.

"So Liz, what's up?" Kate replied.

"Liz? I'm pretty sure her name is Beth," Lucas interjected.

"Beth lives alone with cats…" Kate teased. "Liz comes back to New York City to find her one true love!

"Wait… BETH came back to New York to find work!" Lucas interrupted, cutting Kate off.

"Now, now, you two just met and you're already fighting? Let's try to settle this calmly!" Elizabeth said as she began to untangle the conflicting personalities of her friends.

"Okay, fine. Liz, there's a concert in Brooklyn we should go to Monday night at 7, Sexy Guitar Guy is playing there with his band!" Kate suggested.

Elizabeth smiled at the thought of doing something different for once. "Oh right, they do things in Brooklyn now! That's awesome, we should totally go!"

"WAIT, that's when my street action is happening!" Lucas cried.

"Oh shit! I completely forgot. I wish I could go to both."

Elizabeth's head was pounding at the two possibilities that Kate and Lucas offered to her. She didn't want to disappoint either of them. She thought about her options long and hard until she finally came to a decision.

"I'll go to your street action Lucas, I've always wanted to meet everyone!" Beth replied.

"Great, see you there!" Lucas said excitedly.

"Do you mind, Kate? I'm sure Sexy Guitar Guy will have other concerts with his band. We'll catch up another time."

"Not at all! See you soon. Have fun with Lucas, BETH." Kate smiled and began to walk away. "I have to get home to Anne, bye!"

"Bye!" Beth and Lucas said in unison.

"I've missed you." Lucas grabbed Beth and pulled her closer to him. "It's been too long."

"I know I missed you too. I can't stop thinking about the amazing times we had in college," Beth said as she ran her fingers through Lucas' blond hair and embraced him with a hug.

Lucas suddenly planted a light kiss on Beth's lips, leaving her speechless.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry. FUCK, I'm such an idiot!"

"No, it's fine. I just didn't expect that."

Beth's phone began to ring. _Thank god I'm finally getting out of this awkward moment, _she thought to herself. "347?"

"That's a New York area code," Lucas informed her.

"OH. Hello?"

"Beth, it's Stephen!"

"Stephen! Hi, how are you?"

"I'm doing great, welcome back to New York! I have a job offer for you. The Department of City Planning Needs a new member for their team and you would be perfect for leading the new waterfront development project."

"Are you kidding me? I would be honored!"

"Okay, I'll see you at my office on 22 Reade on Monday?"

"YES! See you then!"

Beth became overwhelmed after Stephen's phone call and took a deep breath. She peered over at Lucas' reaction, which was anything but pleasant.

"Really, STEPHEN?" he asked.

"What's so wrong with him?"

"He's a coward!"

"He's not, he offered me a great job on a government salary. How could I pass that up?"

"His company goes against everything the NYCC believes in."

"I'll make sure that we do everything in our power to offer low-income housing to those in need. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"I still don't want you working with Stephen. I don't trust him one bit," Lucas sighed.

"Well, this is my life, and I'm starting over. I'm taking this job and giving it everything I have."

"Whatever you say, Beth. I have to head home. I'll see you at the street action."

"Bye Lucas!" Beth rolled her eyes and headed the other way.


	2. Ch 2: Another Day of Saving the Planet

**Chapter 2: Another Day of Saving the Planet**

Monday was finally here, and Beth was soaking up every minute of her first day of work as Stephen's business partner. She was automatically hired because of their past history together as friends and colleagues when Beth was in grad school at Columbia. Stephen had always favored her, almost a little too much, even though he's been married to his wife Cathy for almost eight years now. Beth didn't think anything of Stephen's moves toward her, whether they were romantic or not, and assumed he was just being nice.

Beth's bright green eyes stared into a detailed drawing of a map of New York that Stephen had created. Her head began to throb out of frustration, and while Stephen was very talented in his work, she knew there was something she had to fix. _I need to make sure there is low-income housing included for Lucas, I promised him, _she muttered to herself. _I can't fucking do this. I don't want to disappoint Lucas, but I don't want to completely ruin Stephen's drawing either. He'd KILL me, or even worse fire me! Or maybe not._

"Dr. Vaughan!" her assistant Elena called.

"Oh shit, you scared the crap out of me Elena!" Beth jumped out of her seat and her eyes widened. "And please, call me Beth," She turned around to look at her young protégé standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to bother you Beth, I didn't realize you were so into your work," Elena looked down, feeling a hint of embarrassment.

"It's okay, no need to apologize. What's going on?" Beth asked.

"Your friend Lucas is here to see you, is this a bad time? What should I tell him?"

"No, it's not a bad time. I need a break anyway. Send him in," Beth replied. She was actually excited to see Lucas and was longing for an excuse to take a breather from her work since it had been a tough first day.

Lucas walked into Beth's office with a smile on his face. He seemed just as excited to see his best friend, as she was to see him. He was holding two cups of coffee in his hands, which Beth assumed was for the two of them.

"Hey Lucas! Ooh TWO cups of coffee just for me? You shouldn't have! I only needed one, but it's been a long day and it's not even over yet!" Beth sarcastically greeted Lucas.

"Hi to you too?" Lucas laughed, "Actually, I only got you ONE cup of coffee, my employee discount at Starbucks isn't that great, unfortunately. There's a decaf soy latte for you and a green tea for me, here ya go!" Lucas handed Beth her long-awaited cup of coffee she so desperately needed. It was made just the way she liked it, by her favorite barista, her very own friend Lucas. He was working at Starbucks as a side job to pay his rent, and being both an activist and blogger didn't make him enough money to get by.

"Gosh Lucas, I'm so stressed out. I'm so used to teaching urban planning in Phoenix I forgot how exhausting it is to actually be DOING something!" Beth put her head down on her wooden desk and let out a deep sigh.

"I know, but isn't it going to be worth it?" Lucas reminded her, "Especially when you add some low-income housing to your awesome map of New York!" He wasn't going to let that go, and to his advantage, he was fortunate to have a friend who could possibly be in control of his future.

Beth quickly picked her tired and worn head up from her desk with a shot of adrenaline. "OH MY GOD, your street action! I completely forgot that was tonight!"

"How could you forget? I've been reminding you for the past two days!" Lucas yelled, shocked that his loyal friend would forget about something that was so important to him.

"I'm sorry, it's just... this job. I've been working so hard. It means so much to finally do something I love again."

"It's only your first day!"

"I did this before I went to Phoenix, ya know!"

"I'm aware, I was there for you that entire time, incase you haven't noticed." Lucas rolled his eyes and stared at the ground, not knowing what to do or say.

Suddenly, the cracked door to Beth's office swung wide open. It was Stephen. "Beth! We have an office meeting in five minutes, remember?" he grinned, staring into Beth's eyes. "Oh hi Lucas, it's nice to see you again."

_He's fucking lying, that fake little… _Lucas thought to himself. His head slowly lifted and he looked at Stephen. "Hi Stephen, it's nice to see you too. Any more lives to ruin today?"

"Wow, you're just as aggressive as I remember," Stephen joked.

"Don't start with me…" Lucas' fist clenched and he began to lift it until…

Beth stood up and put her hand on Lucas' chest. "LUCAS, stop! Everyone just, please. Stephen, I'll be there in a minute, sorry. I just got a little sidetracked." Stephen nodded and left the room.

"But what about my street action?" Lucas cried.

Once again Beth was forced to make a tough decision, but she knew that work had to come first. "Hopefully the meeting won't be that long. We just have to go over the plans for tomorrow. I'll make it, I promise. I won't let you down!"

Lucas calmed himself down and took a deep breath. "Whatever you say, Beth. See you later."

"Bye Lucas, don't cause any trouble before I show up!" Beth laughed.

Lucas cracked a smile and made his way out of the office.


	3. Ch 3:One More Night of Nothing But Tears

**Chapter 3: Another Night of Nothing But Tears**

**A/N: I'm having a bit of writer's block already to bear with me here. I'm trying as hard as I can to make this different and interesting. This chapter is a little slow in the beginning, and it gets a little intense in the end, so be prepared for that! Warning: There is a lot more foul language in this chapter than previous chapters. Be aware.**

Beth was sitting at her office meeting, her whole body fidgeting the entire time. She knew she should have been more focused on what Stephen was saying, but she felt so guilty thinking about the fact that she could be breaking a promise to her best friend. She didn't want to miss Lucas' street action and put their friendship off to a bad start. Even though they have been friends, lovers, and everything in between for years, Beth was coming to New York to start new and did not want to make any mistakes she would regret.

6:30, 6:45, 7:00…. Time was going by slower than molasses. It was finally 7:15 when Stephen dismissed everyone from the meeting and Beth figured she had time to spare before the end of the street action. She quickly hopped on the A-Train to Brooklyn and ran as fast as she could to the lot where Lucas was protesting.

The lot was chaos. There were people with signs walking everywhere, others yelling, and police cars with sirens going off at unpleasant tones. Beth peered over at one of the policemen to see him pulling Lucas away toward his car.

"LUCAS! What the hell is going on?" Beth yelled, still out of breath from running around the city.

"BETH!" Lucas shouted.

"Excuse me, who are you?" a dark-haired, broad-shouldered policeman asked.

"I'm Beth, his friend," Beth answered, now shaking. "Why are you taking him away? What did he do?"

"Your friend here is arrested because incase you didn't know, protests are _illegal._"

"It's not a protest, it's a street action!" Lucas reminded him.

"Call it what you want!" the policeman yelled back.

"Wait… sir… can I please just talk to him for a minute or two?" Beth's sad eyes stared at the policeman and she tried everything in her power not to burst into tears.

The policeman let out a nasty grunt. "Okay, TWO MINUTES. I'll be timing you." He let go of Lucas and walked a short distance away.

"Thank you."

"Now you decide to show up? The street action is over, you're too late," Lucas said.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. I got held up at work. It wasn't my fault! I didn't realize I would miss the whole street action," Beth replied.

"It meant so much to me. Looking around at all of those people and not seeing your face broke my heart." Lucas turned his back to Beth and put his head in his hands.

Beth walked over to Lucas and rubbed his back. "I really didn't mean to disappoint you. Things happened, it was out of my control. I don't know what else to say to make you feel better."

Lucas turned around abruptly. "You know, ever since you started working for Stephen again you've been acting like such an asshole. This isn't you, Beth!"

Beth couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Excuse me? It's only been two days. And how have I been acting differently than I usually do?"

"I don't know. Being a weaker version of you? Kissing his ass in every possible way that you could? Falling for his stupid moves on you. He hits on you constantly and you don't even see it!" Lucas paused like a deer in headlights. _Fuck, did I really just say those things? I'm digging myself in a deep hole._

"THIRTY SECONDS," the policeman called.

"He'll be there!" Beth screamed. The two friends faced each other in awkward silence before any of them could find the words to say, if they had any at all.

"First of all, I'm not weak. I'm not kissing Stephen's ass. He's my _boss,_ and I'm doing my job. Second of all, he's not hitting on me. It's called being nice. You should try it sometime," the words flew out of Beth's mouth so smoothly and she suddenly didn't feel like herself, as Lucas said. _Wow, I really am an asshole, she thought._

Lucas was still speechless and for the first time in his life, he couldn't even look Beth in the eye without getting upset. "Fuck you," he said. He walked toward the policeman and made his way into the car.

A tear rolled down Beth's cheek. Not only was she watching her best friend get arrested, she was also in one of the biggest fights with him that they've ever had. She chose to say nothing back and headed home.

After a long day, Beth was finally home and decided to pour herself a glass of Pinot Clo Du Val 2003, her favorite wine. Just as she began to sit on her bed, she heard a knock on the door. _Who is coming to visit me this late at night? It's probably Kate._ She quickly ran to see who it was, and opened the door. She was surprised to see that it was Stephen.

"Stephen, Hi! What are you doing here? It's so late!" Beth motioned him into her apartment, "Please come in."

"Hi Beth, I'm sorry I'm here unexpectedly this late at night, but I couldn't wait until tomorrow to show you!" Stephen said happily.

"Show me what?" Beth asked.

"The plans we discussed at the meeting? I re-drew them already!" he handed her a rolled poster board.

Beth grabbed the poster from Stephen's hands, "Let's bring this into the study where we can lay it out and see everything better."

"Okay," Stephen nodded.

The two of them made their way into the study. Beth unrolled the poster and smoothed it out on her desk. They both stared at it blankly for about a minute.

"Wow Stephen, this is incredible!" Beth responded. "And you even added in the low income housing for Lu… I mean, it's great. Who doesn't want low-income housing?"

"Is everything alright?" Stephen wondered.

"Yeah, it's been a long day. I'm really tired, I'll look at the plan again tomorrow."

"I understand. I'm glad you like it!" Stephen smiled, and turned around to make his way to the front door.

Before Stephen could even take a step, Beth grabbed his shoulders and kissed him passionately. A rush of emotions came over her and she suddenly felt out of her body. Stephen broke from the kiss, not knowing what to say.

"Wow."

"Oh my god. I didn't even realize what I was doing. You're married with a family. We shouldn't be doing this," Beth wiped her lip and turned away, feeling humiliated.

Stephen turned Beth around to face him, "You're amazing," he said. He touched her chin and kissed her back, placing his tongue in her mouth. Beth rapidly pushed him away, breaking their kiss yet again.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" she screamed. "I'm _NOT_ doing this right now, get out of my apartment!" she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.

"See you tomorrow, Beth!" Stephen smiled, as if nothing was wrong.

Beth slammed the door and leaned her back on it. She stared into space at a loss for words. _Why the fuck would I get involved with my boss like that? He's married with two sons! And the fucked up part is, HE DOESN'T EVEN CARE! What have I done?_

There were a million thoughts racing through her head and she didn't know where to go from here. She walked into her bedroom and found her iPhone sitting on the end table by her bed. _Who do I call for help? _She picked it up and began dialing.

"_Let me be your emergency contact…" _That phrase continued to play through Beth's mind.

"Lucas," she cried, tears pouring down her face faster than she can control. "I need you to come over as soon as possible."


	4. Ch 4: What the Fuck?

**Chapter 4: What the Fuck?**

**A/N: Here is an edited Chapter 4. It's a long one, mostly filled with dialogue. Enjoy! =) **

"Beth, what's wrong?" Lucas asked in a worried tone.

"Just come here... _please. _I need a friend," Beth replied, her voice trembled with nervousness.

Earlier that day, Lucas could not have been angrier with Beth but the tone in her voice sounded serious and he had no other choice. He sighed, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you," Beth hung up the phone.

Minutes later, there was a knock on Beth's door. She answered the door as fast as she could. "Lucas!" she gave him an intense hug and held him tightly for as long as she could. "I'm so glad you're here. I know you're probably mad at me but I'm so happy to see you." The two went into Beth's bedroom to continue their conversation.

"Uh, thanks? What happened?" Lucas wondered, untangling his arms from Beth's hug.

"It's Stephen, you were right about him."

Lucas was shocked to hear Beth admit she was wrong, something she didn't do often. "_What? _Why?"

"He came over a few minutes ago to show me his plan for the Far West Side Project. Everything was fine until I, I…" Beth stuttered, feeling the guilt build up.

"You _what?'_" Lucas said impatiently.

"I kissed him!" Beth blurted out. She put her hand over her face in embarrassment.

"You _kissed_ him? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I know. It was so wrong of me to do. He's married and has a family. I apologized and I felt so badly for doing it. But the worst thing is…" Beth paused and took a deep breath. "HE KISSED ME BACK."

Lucas stared at Beth with his mouth wide open and froze. "He… kissed you _back_? That lying, cheating bastard!"

"Lucas, this isn't helping!"

"I know, but I knew there was always something odd about him."

"What do I do, Lucas? Maybe I'll just quit my job. This can only get worse!" Beth suggested.

"NO! You can't quit. If you quit, then he wins!" Lucas informed her.

"Ugh, this is so complicated. I feel horrible about this whole thing," Beth crouched down by her bed in disappointment.

Lucas took a seat on Beth's bed and rubbed her shoulder. "Don't be so down on yourself! The fact that he kissed you back is worse than you kissing him in the first place."

"Oh, Lucas. I'm so sorry for everything, our fight today was awful. I've been so self-absorbed about Stephen I didn't even ask you what happened with the police today."

"It's fine. They ended up not arresting me and just escorted me home."

"Well, thank god you're okay." Beth looked up and grabbed Lucas, giving him a more meaningful hug than the first.

Lucas smiled and planted another kiss on her lips.

"Stay?" Beth asked Lucas.

"Sure," Lucas nodded and gave Beth another embrace.

The next morning, Beth woke up at 7:15, completely missing her 7:00 alarm. _Fuck, I have 45 minutes to get to work._ She looked at Lucas, who was sleeping next to her.

"Lucas," she whispered, I have to go to work. I'm gonna be late! I'll see you later." She lightly kissed his forehead.

"Alright, see you later I guess," Lucas replied, slowly waking up from his sleep.

Beth quickly threw some clothes on and rushed out the door.

On her way to work, Beth couldn't stop thinking about last night. Not only did she make out with her co-worker who she had to see again in a matter of minutes, but she also had sex with her best friend who she had complicated feelings for and was now still sleeping in her apartment.

Beth cautiously walked into her office building, trying to avoid confrontation with Stephen at all costs. Each step that she took felt like she was walking on eggshells, even though she knew she would have to face Stephen at some point.

"Beth!" a voice called from down the hall.

Beth's heart jumped and she looked up. _FUCK. _"Oh, Hi Stephen! You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry. Listen, about last night…"

Beth cut him off. "I know. It was weird."

"I didn't mean to get involved with you in that way."

"I understand. I didn't either."

"Can we move on and put it in the past?"

"Okay." Beth was glad to finally end her romantic feelings for Stephen once and for all.

"Which reminds me, I have some exciting news for you!" Stephen said cheerfully.

"What is it?" Beth asked.

"The Deputy Mayor is resigning this afternoon and the he asked me to step up to take his job, which means my job is yours if you want it."

"Wow, I don't know what so say, I mean…"

Stephen interrupted, "I believe in you, Beth. I know you'll be great as the new Director of City Planning."

"I didn't even accept the job yet!" Beth laughed.

"So, this means you're rejecting it?" Stephen teased.

"No, I'll take it!"

"Great! We'll talk more about what the job entails later on. Things are going to be exciting, Beth!" Stephen happily walked back to his office.

Over the next few weeks, things were going well for Beth. She was becoming successful at work with her new promotion, and she and Lucas were staying over at each other's places at least five nights a week.

One morning while Lucas was staying at her apartment, Beth had the worst morning sickness. Lucas was still sleeping next to her, so she crept out of bed and into the bathroom.

_I feel like shit. I've haven't gotten sick or thrown up this badly in so long. What the fuck is wrong with me?_

In her bathroom cabinet, Beth grabbed a pregnancy test she saved from when she lived in Phoenix. She and Oren had talked about having kids, but never got around to it due to Oren's hectic work schedule. She bought a few of them just incase either of them changed their minds.

Beth did her business and awaited the results. _PLEASE DON'T BE POSITIVE. I can't deal with this shit right now._

Minutes passed. "FUCK. This can't be happening." She immediately dialed Kate's number.

"Hello?" Kate answered.

"KATE! I'm in deep shit!" Beth panicked.

"Whoa, slow down! Is everything alright?"

"I'M PREGNANT!" Beth blurted out.

Kate paused, at a loss for words. "Wow, congratulations? I'm confused."

"NO, Kate. This is _horrible. _I can't be pregnant! I have a job to do. I don't even like kids that much!" Beth cried, not knowing what to make of the situation.

"You're 100% sure that you're pregnant?" Kate asked.

"_Yes,_ I peed on a stick four times!" Beth replied.

"Well, who is the father?" Kate wondered.

"You don't want to know."

"Just _tell me!_"

Beth had never felt more ashamed in her life. She quietly whispered into the phone, "Lucas."

"HAHA! LUCAS?" Kate laughed.

"Shut up!"

"I'm sorry Beth, but _really_? Does he know?" Kate bombarded her friend with questions.

"No, he doesn't know. And I don't know how to tell him if I plan on telling him at all."

"You _have_ to tell him! I'm sure it won't be that bad. It's probably his lifelong dream to have a child with you!" Kate joked.

"Kate, this isn't funny. It may be his dream, but it's not mine. I never wanted this to happen. And it's easy for you to say, you're a kindergarten teacher!"

"I didn't mean to make fun of you. I think you should tell him sooner rather than later."

Beth took a deep breath. "I guess you're right."

"I know!" Kate chuckled.

Beth hung up the phone. There were so many thoughts and emotions running through her mind. She didn't feel ready to have a child, especially with Lucas, but she didn't want to get an abortion either. The only option she had was to tell him the truth.

Beth sank on the floor in the bathroom and began sobbing, which woke Lucas up from his sleep. As soon as he heard her crying, he frantically knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Beth? Are you okay?"

_Shit, he's up._ Beth hid the pregnancy test, quickly unlocked the door, and opened it. _"No_, I'm not."

Lucas grabbed Beth's hand to help her up from the floor and escorted her into her bed. He stroked her chocolate brown locks. "Tell me why you're so upset. You know I hate seeing you like this."

Beth looked into his dark blue eyes. She didn't know how Lucas would react and hated the thought of hurting his feelings yet again. "Do you really want to know?" she asked.

"Come on Beth, let it out!" Lucas demanded.

"I'm pregnant."

Lucas' mouth opened wide open in shock. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes Lucas. I'm fucking pregnant with _your_ child."

"_OUR _child!" he corrected her.

"_Our_ child, whatever."

"You know, we can raise the baby it together. That's kind of the point. You won't be alone. I'll be right there beside you," Lucas suggested.

"Whatever. I need to think about this."

"_WE _need to think about this!"

"You're not the one having it, Lucas!" Beth shouted.

Lucas got up from her bed and headed toward the door.

"NO, Lucas! Don't leave yet." Beth ran over and hugged him and began crying again. "I'm so confused. Between the promotion and everything else going on, I don't even know if I have time for a kid right know."

"I know, but we have a lot to talk about," Lucas said. He held her tightly with his chest pressed against hers. "We have each other and that's all that matters. I promise, we will figure this out."


End file.
